Giddy Like Schoolgirls
by samurai-ashes
Summary: [yaoi] Yuugi invites Jounouchi over for the weekend to keep him company while Grandpa is at a convention... How was Jounouchi supposed to know that Yuugi had more in mind than popcorn and movies? [complete]
1. An Innocent Invitation

**_Ashes does not own Yu-Gi-Oh!. But you knew that._**

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**Chapter 1:  
An Innocent Invitation**

"Jounouchi," Yuugi's sing-song voice came over the receiver of the phone. 

"Yea?" Jounouchi asked, munching on his after-school sandwich. 

"Would you like to come over the weekend? Grandpa went to a convention and he said I could have someone over to keep me company." 

"Eh? A convention? What for?" 

Yuugi replied, "Archeology or something. He gets back on Sunday morning. It'll be fun, we'll have the whole place to ourselves." 

"Sure," Jounouchi agreed. It sounded better than staying home and being bored all weekend. 

Looking back on it, that was probably the second that the situation left Jounouchi's control, sort of like the moment that he handed over the contract for his soul to the devil… if that analogy made any sense. After he got off the phone, he jammed some clothes and some movies into his backpack - unceremoniously dumping his school supplies onto his bed - and left the house without so much as a note as to where he would be. Chances were that his dad wouldn't notice he was gone anyway. 

When he arrived Yuugi was lounging on the couch, looking amazingly comfortable in his usual black-and-leather combination. Jounouchi had worn leather pants once - for Halloween - and it had been horribly uncomfortable. He couldn't figure out what Yuugi found so appealing about it. 

"Hey! You want to go out to dinner?" 

Jounouchi dropped his backpack onto the couch. "Sure; what do you have in mind?" 

"I don't know. Something good. Something simple." 

Jounouchi wanted to point out that in leather pants and a tank top Yuugi looked a little dressed up for 'something simple'. Instead he smiled. "McDonalds?" he suggested. 

"Ew. No, something that actually has some nutritional value," Yuugi argued. "Hmm… what about that place down the road? You know, the place with the curry and pizza?" 

Jounouchi grinned. 

And that was how he found himself sitting in the small restaurant at a two-person table with Yuugi. It was on the second floor of a medium-sized building, and everything was in a fairly small room… small for a restaurant, anyway. There were two four-person tables, two two-person tables, and one big eight-person table in the middle. On each table there was a water jug - well, something of a thermos crossbred with a jug - filled with cool water; there were cups on each table. The kitchen where all the cooking was done was right where everyone could see, only cut off from the tables by a counter. It was a quaint place, with a big window that showed a view of the city; maps and various other posters decorated the light brown walls. 

"So," Yuugi asked as they waited for the server to bring them their menus, "anything you'd like to do this weekend?" 

Before Jounouchi could respond the waitress brought them their menus and scurried off. Once she was back in the kitchen Jou said, "I don't know, maybe just chill. Seems we do things way too often." 

Yuugi laughed. "True. Sitting around the house in pajamas sounds nice." 

Jou didn't talk much during dinner; he was too busy devouring his curry. Thankfully, Yuugi was more restrained and did all the talking, even though he usually got little more than a grunt or monosyllabic response from Jounouchi. 

"Do you think we should pick up some movies to watch? We've seen all the ones at my house." 

Jounouchi shook his head and actually stopped eating to elaborate, "I brought some. Besides, it's okay to watch stuff that we've already seen. Then we don't have to pay too much attention." 

"Oh," Yuugi grinned. "Expecting to be distracted?" 

Was it just Jounouchi or had Yuugi just sounded flirty? …No, it had to be the spices going to his head; Yuugi wasn't a flirty sort of guy. "I dunno." He shrugged and turned his full attention back to this curry. 

When they finished eating Yuugi insisted that they stay out for a while. "I don't want to spend all night cooped up in the house. I'll go insane!" he pouted. Jounouchi conceded. 

…and - to his horror - found himself shopping with Yuugi, wandering through the mall and stopping at every single store that caught Yuugi's fancy. Jounouchi didn't like shopping period, but shopping with Yuugi… that was worse than just shopping. Especially when Yuugi dragged him into some off-the-wall store and tried to convince him to try on various belts and collars and armbands. 

Jounouchi hated collars. "You know," he said teasingly as Yuugi knelt down to admire some accessories in a glass case, "it's funny that someone like you has such kinky fashion sense." 

Yuugi looked up at him - smirking? What the hell? - and replied in the most innocent tone, "Me? Kinky? What would make you say that?" 

Jounouchi rolled his eyes. "Collars, belts, leather… when do you yank out the handcuffs and whip?" He almost backed up when Yuugi stood. His short friend looked almost predatory as he winked and purred, "When we get home." Then he practically skipped out of the store, cheerfully waving goodbye to the cashier. Jounouchi followed, a little surprised. 

Okay, very surprised. That couldn't have been his imagination. Yuugi had definitely been flirty. And "flirty" wasn't one of the adjectives that Jounouchi would choose to describe Yuugi. 

Next came the clothing store. Given an option, Jounouchi probably would have swallowed his pride and tried on a collar - hell, would have bought one! - if he had known it would save him from the horror of trying on leather pants. Damn Yuugi and his perfected puppy-eyed beg! 

Jounouchi stared at himself in the dressing room mirror. Black leather pants. Dark blue sleeveless shirt. He frowned and fidgeted. If it had more chains or buckles it could have been something straight from Yuugi's wardrobe… but Jounouchi was going to stick with jeans and a t-shirt. Comfortable. Normal. And had he mentioned **not** like a second skin? 

"Well," Yuugi demanded impatiently from the other side of the dressing room door, "are you ever going to come out?" 

"I don't want to be seen like this!" Jounouchi protested. 

"Jou…" Yuugi stretched out the name, effectively imitating a childlike whine. "I want to see!" 

Jounouchi hesitantly opened the door, but never left the doorway, standing there for Yuugi to observe. Immediately Yuugi's face lit up. "You look great! You should look into changing your style." 

"I'll leave this style to you," Jounouchi said firmly. "You're a little odd sometimes…" 

Yuugi laughed merrily. "Whatever helps you sleep at night." Jounouchi turned to enter the dressing room, fully prepared to change back into his own clothes… 

He yelped before he closed the door. He locked it. 

Yuugi has just touched his ass. 

He stared at himself in the mirror. Wide eyes. A little pale. Wait, was he blushing? 

Yuugi. had. just. touched. his. ass. 

Jounouchi shook his head rapidly. Ow. 

Yuugi had just - 

"Jou, you're taking forever," Yuugi complained. "I'm going to go pay for my clothes, okay?" 

"Okay," Jounouchi croaked. He set to peeling off the clothes he was wearing. 

He wasn't quite sure what bothered him more: Yuugi touching his ass, or the thrill he got from it. 

**-tbc-**

* * *

**- author says -**  
touch yer nose! ...wait, wrong game. 

I had this idea stuck in my head nearly all weekend before I finally got my ass up and wrote it down. I've just seen too much fan art with these boys in impossibly short shorts, and contemplated Yuugi's hair one too many times. Arg, this was another one of those "supposed-to-be-a-one-shot" stories that ran away without me. I was helpless to follow its lead. Haha, stupid story. Stupid perverted horny teenagers. Honestly…! 

So yea, this is chapter 1. Sort of dull, ne? *sigh* This is actually sort of funny, how sex leads into the plot. *scratches head* or maybe I just wanted to see Yuugi on top. I don't know. Either way, there is a plot coming with this seemingly mindless chapter, I swear on, uhm, that-random-guy-over-there's soul. I think its mainly trying to develop Jou and all his random and confused thoughts. 

Oh! wait! So the restaurant Jou and Yuugi go to is based on one of my favorite restaurants back where we used to live. Mm, curry = good. They had pretty off pizza. Scratch that, the Japanese make odd pizza. ^_^   
**- author out -**


	2. Very Unlike Yuugi

**_no own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

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_Hey! It sucks to be a FF.net-er today; this part is massively editted. As in, mmm, YuugixJounouchi sex... but not here. It's over at AdultFanFiction.net, MediaMiner.org, or my site. Go for it. Besides, its another one of those things where Jounouchi does all sorts of thinking. And... damn, its YuugixJounouchi! What's not to like? ^_^_

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**Chapter 2:  
Very Unlike Yuugi**

When they got back to Yuugi's place, the first thing they did was drop of Yuugi's shopping bags in his room. Or rather, Yuugi tossed them carelessly onto his bedroom floor and dropped onto his bed, sighing contentedly. "Can I take a quick shower before we watch a movie? I want to get comfy and put on some house clothes." 

"That's fine, I can wait." 

Yuugi got some clothes from his dresser and disappeared into the hallway, humming and bouncing on the balls of his feet. He was certainly excited about **something**. Jounouchi figured it was just new clothes. He made himself at home, sitting in a chair and propping his feet up on Yuugi's desk, amusing himself by imagining what Yuugi's grandpa would say if he saw. He grabbed a magazine from the desk and settled into reading it. It was a magazine focused on Duel Monsters. Very like Yuugi to be reading. 

At least something about Yuugi was recognizable. He shook his head. Nope, he wasn't going to think about how weird Yuugi was being tonight… He heard the shower begin running. 

Jounouchi read for at least 20 minutes before the shower stopped. Five minutes later Yuugi entered the room, rubbing his hair almost violently with a towel. Jounouchi's mouth immediately went dry as he saw Yuugi's 'house clothes'. 

A little white t-shirt, loose-fitting but barely long enough to cover the waistband of Yuugi's dark blue shorts. 

Short shorts. Impossibly short shorts. As in, if he left the house in those shorts, he would be pushing the limits of public decency. So short that the material barely covered his rear end, leaving it quite accessible to Jounouchi's gaze. 

Not that he looked. He didn't like boys. 

The shorts were forgotten as Yuugi dropped his towel into a laundry basket, revealing his hair. His hair wasn't up and pointed in different directions. Instead it was laid almost completely flat, damp and rumpled. The black and magenta were mixed everywhere, and the blond parts framed his face. 

"Shit!" Jounouchi exclaimed, unable to tear his eyes away. "What'd you do to your hair?" 

Yuugi stared at him as though he'd just asked what color the sky was. "What?" 

"It's… flat." 

Yuugi laughed. "What, did you think it stood up by itself? _Baka_; I do that because it looks ridiculous down." 

"Not to mention you look shorter." 

"Shut up!" Jounouchi could tell that Yuugi wasn't offended because he was still laughing softly. "Come on, let's go put in a movie." 

--

Jounouchi couldn't pay attention to the movie. Who could with Yuugi sitting beside him on the couch? And sitting was putting it mildly; Yuugi was sprawled out, one leg tossed over Jounouchi's lap, hand absently scratching his belly as he watched the movie. Jounouchi's eyes kept skimming the expanse of the smooth leg tossed so casually over him, and the movie was completely forgotten. Jounouchi didn't even know the title. 

And of course, Yuugi's hair was still baffling him. How had he never realized that Yuugi's hair was just as subject to gravity as everyone else's? Wait, did that mean that Honda's hair went down too? 

His musings were interrupted by a loud rumble, followed by Yuugi sitting up, taking back his leg and stretching out. 

Why was Jounouchi so disappointed to see the leg go? 

"I'm hungry, you want anything?" Yuugi asked, standing and stretching again. Jounouchi shook his head. He pretended to watch the movie until Yuugi was in the kitchen. 

How confusing! Yugi had been acting strange every since Jounouchi had arrived: the flirting, touching his ass, the shorts, the leg… but even harder to understand was how Jounouchi reacted to everything that Yuugi was doing. He didn't like guys! Yet he had been pleasantly surprised by everything that was happening… 

Damn it, though; he liked girls! And Yuugi was most definitely not a girl. 

Yuugi returned, sitting on the couch - normally, with his legs tucked underneath him - and munching on an apple, turning to the movie without acknowledging Jounouchi. Jounouchi stared without shame as Yuugi ate, eyes widening as he watched Yuugi lick his lips. He tried to resist mimicking the action, wishing he could taste those lips. After a moment Yuugi glanced over, head cocked to the side in confusion. "Something on your mind?" he asked, taking another bite of his apple. 

"Ah, no," Jounouchi answered slowly. Finally he tore his gaze away and tried to focus on the movie… but his mockery of focus didn't last long. 

"Would you like something to drink?" 

Jounouchi looked at Yuugi **again**. Blinked. Did that mean what he thought it meant? 

"_Jiichan_ has some pretty good stuff hidden in the freezer…" 

"But you don't drink," Jounouchi said dumbly. The Yuugi he was accustomed to was like a little brother: cute, innocent, and maybe a little perverted at times. The Yuugi he was accustomed to didn't drink, and didn't hit on his best friend. 

"Not as a habit," Yuugi replied, "but who doesn't once in a while?" 

"But…" Jounouchi was dumb-founded. Could his night get any stranger? 

"Why so shocked? I never said I was a saint." 

Jounouchi regained a little of his usual composure and joked, "No, but it's nice to pretend." Okay, so maybe it wasn't COMPLETELY been a joke. 

"Good one!" Yuugi laughed. Then, still chuckling softly, Yuugi moved to sit close to Jounouchi, practically falling into the blond's lap. "But I'm serious." Jounouchi was still as stone as Yuugi knelt up and whispered in his ear, "because I figure that once I get a few drinks in you, you'll be willing to let me in you." 

Jounouchi imagined that his eyes couldn't get any bigger. That had to be the corniest pick-up line he had ever heard… but fuck man, that was a pick-up line! From Yuugi! Speaking of Yuugi, he was still giggling near Jounouchi's ear, leaning against his shoulder, seemingly waiting for an answer. 

Apparently his night **could** get stranger. 

**-tbc-**

* * *

**- author says -**  
... *resisting another simon-says joke* 

So anyway,this part is... a little less humorous than the last part. Then again, I guess this is still kinda funny. It goes out to Danichan for letting me use her "saint" line... which she'd smack me for, because she's not a big fan of yaoi/fan fiction, but she said I could use it... 

*giggle* that really is the worst pick-up line ever; it struck me, and I said 'why the hell not?'. I think its sort of funny... and hey, it worked, so who's complaining? not I, says the samurai. 

...look at me have nothing to say. Go read the freakin' unedited version! XD 

Oh! Reviewers! You rule! I have, in my life, read ONE story where Yuugi was on top over at AdultFanFiction.net... erm... called "The Darkness in the Light" by DragondreamerYamiDragon. Good story, but dark. ^_^ 


	3. Stupid Romantic

**_Ashes does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of its characters._**

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**Chapter 3:  
Stupid Romantic**

Jounouchi blinked the sleep from his eyes, squinting against the light that invaded the living room. He was still on the floor; Yuugi was sleeping peacefully, snuggled against him. He looked innocent. Jounouchi snorted softly with laughter. What a crock of shit. Still, he didn't want to wake the snoring teen, lying silently as he tried to sort out his thoughts. 

Was he a pervert? After all, he had just had sex with his best friend… his very male best friend! Jounouchi figured that it didn't get much more perverted than that. And for that matter, why had he done it? Sure, 'it's a game' and 'experimenting' were good short-term excuses, but now that it was morning and light was cast on the matter - 

Or rather, cast across their naked bodies, intertwined on the floor; the sight sent the most delightful shiver up Jounouchi's spine. 

- he had to look at it from a slightly different point of view. Was he gay? Wait, he couldn't be gay! Gay men were sissies and… 

Yuugi had been into it last night… the fact hit Jounouchi like a ton of bricks: Yuugi was gay! 

_Wow, you're slow on the uptake there, Jou!_

Well, that put a new spin on his impression of gay guys. Sure, Yuugi could be sort of sissy-ish at times, but he could also be tough and determined… in his own special, half-pint way. With a guilty blush, Jounouchi also noted that if Yuugi asserted just half of the self-assurance and dominance that he had shown last night, people wouldn't give him so much shit. Then again, that would be a little sad; Jounouchi loved to protect Yuugi. 

He looked down at Yuugi fondly. It was odd. He felt… giddy? Sort of like in a movie, when a schoolgirl swoons after her first kiss. Wait, was he saying that he was like a giddy schoolgirl? Ah! Did he just compare himself to a girl? 

Yuugi stirred, stretching out and yawning. His hand accidentally bumped Jounouchi's face, effectively bringing Jounouchi out of his self-induced horror. "G'morn," Yuugi mumbled against his chest. "How you feelin'?" 

Come to think of it… He was sore. He hadn't noticed while he was buried in thought, but he wasn't feeling so great in his lower body area. "I'm fine." It wasn't a lie; he didn't feel horrible, he just wasn't going to be volunteering to run any marathons in his near future. 

"Mm, s'good. Let's do something stupid and romantic today." 

"Like what?" Romantic? Jounouchi hadn't thought about the romantic implications of what they had done. Hadn't Yuugi been all about sex? 

"I dunno," Yuugi grumbled sleepily. "Let's fuck in the park or something." 

Oh. That was sex. Was Jounouchi upset or relieved? "Yuugi, people would see." 

"That makes it stupid." 

Jounouchi gave another small snort-laugh. "No shit." 

Yuugi nodded, laughing sleepily. "Aptly put. Let's go take a shower." 

Together? Jounouchi didn't think that was… 

Oh, to hell with thought! It couldn't hurt, he needed a shower, and it wasn't as though he had anything to hide from Yuugi. He sat up, forcing Yuugi up with him. "Shower it is." 

--

A couple of hours later Jounouchi once again found himself back in the mall, due to Yuugi's sudden urge to go buy some new pants. Hadn't he just bought pants last night? Jounouchi had never realized how much Yuugi enjoyed shopping, nor had he realized that Yuugi was known by name in any clothing store that sold clothes that were adorned with buckles, chains, metal, or were otherwise Yuugi-ish in nature. Jounouchi amused himself by reformulating his theory that Yuugi's clothes didn't match his demeanor; actually, the clothes seemed to suite him a lot more now that Jounouchi thought about it… not to mention they left much less to his imagination. 

Ah! He was being schoolgirl-ish again! He crossed his arms over his chest, scowling. It wasn't his fault that Yuugi looked good in boy-whore clothes. 

"Jou!" Yuugi called from the dressing room. "Come here!" Jounouchi obeyed, walking over to see that Yuugi was leaning against the doorframe of one of the dressing room stalls, dressed in his own clothes. 

"What?" 

"Shh." Yuugi grinned and pressed his finger to his lips. He looked around and then yanked Jounouchi into the room by the belt loops of his jeans. Jounouchi followed without fight as Yuugi urged him to a chair in the corner; all questions he may have been considering asking were shocked out of him as Yuugi straddled him, kissing him fiercely. 

"Did you insist on clothes shopping just to rape me a dressing room?" Jounouchi asked, interrupting Yuugi's kiss. 

"No," Yuugi said innocently. "I thought of it while I was getting dressed." 

"Sure," Jounouchi teased, stretching the word out. 

"Honestly!" Yuugi protested. "But if you don't believe me, I'll just-" He started to climb off Jounouchi's lap, but was quickly yanked back. Jounouchi kissed him and let his hands rest on Yuugi's hips. Yuugi moaned softly into the kiss, grinding down against the bulge in Jounouchi's pants. The blond broke the kiss to gasp, arms seeking a tighter hold on Yuugi's slim waist. Yuugi did it again, and instinctively Jounouchi retaliated. They quickly fell into a rhythm of grinding and kissing, capturing lips to hide impetuous giggles and groans of pleasure. 

Until there was a timid knock on the door. "Um, sir…s… I'm going to need to ask you to leave if you…" 

"Oh, okay!" Yuugi said brightly, interrupting the nervous announcement of the man on the other side of the door. Jounouchi paled. Someone knew what they were doing! Yuugi didn't look the least bit ashamed as he pressed a quick kiss to Jounouchi's lips and jumped off his lap. He retrieved the pants he intended to buy off the floor and left the dressing room, whistling in a way that was simply oozing with mock-innocence. 

Jounouchi was amused to see how the cashier couldn't meet Yuugi's eyes as he purchased the pants. 

"Well," Jounouchi said once they were out of the store, standing outside and looking around for something else to do, "that was stupid…" 

"…and I guess it counts as romantic," Yuugi finished. He was looking around, brow scrunched in thought. 

"Yenny for your thoughts," Jounouchi joked, poking Yuugi in shoulder. {1} 

"I was thinking… we should go do pictures!" Yuugi grabbed Jounouchi by the wrist, and - in something akin to horror - he let himself be dragged to the arcade. 

"Why?" Jounouchi managed to ask once Yuugi had the plastic mockeries of curtains closed around the booth. Yuugi dropped his money into the machine, and the quazi-electronica music started up. He didn't answer right away, choosing different things on the screen in front of him, humming contentedly. Finally Yuugi looked over his shoulder and grinned. 

"Well, no one can see us here…" 

Jounouchi's eyes widened as Yuugi advanced towards him, small hands undoing his jeans as the female voice counted down: "San. Ni. Ichi!" 

--

"Oh, but they're great pictures!" Yuugi whined playfully as he unlocked the front door to his house. 

"Yea, great if you're in the porn industry," Jounouchi retorted. "I'm hiding them and never telling you where they are." 

"Aw, but I want to keep them!" 

"You shouldn't have told me you were going to put one on the cover of your notebook." 

Yuugi stuck out his tongue as he entered the house. "You're such a prude, Jou." 

"Yea, well, you're not the one making funny faces… I can't believe I actually look like that." Jounouchi scowled, remembering the pictures nestled safely in his back pocket. 

"Oh, you're so sensitive; everyone makes funny faces when they get off." 

Jounouchi didn't respond, instead going to the kitchen to appease his grumbling stomach. 

--

They got nothing productive done that day. 

Tried to make something for lunch, ended up going at it on the kitchen floor. 

Tried to watch TV, made out on the couch instead… and then fell off said couch in the process. 

Finally they gave up on pretending to pay attention to anything except each other. 

Jounouchi didn't understand it. There was something irresistible about Yuugi, something intoxicating. At least once he wondered if he had slipped into some other dimension, or perhaps a strange dream from which he would soon wake up. At least that would explain why Yuugi was so in control, and why Jounouchi liked giving in so much. He never liked when anyone got the better of him… and Yuugi was getting his best. 

"It's almost dinnertime," Yuugi announced suddenly from where he was lying atop Jounouchi. "I feel so lazy; I don't want to move." 

"Mm," was Jounouchi's only reply. 

Yuugi sat up and continued, "But we have to eat dinner so we can eat dessert." 

"Oh?" Jounouchi quirked an eyebrow. "And what do you have in mind for dessert?" 

With a giggle Yuugi hopped off the couch and leaned down to give Jounouchi a kiss. Then he answered scandalously, "You." 

**

-tbc-

**

* * *

**- author says -**  
{1} _"Yenny" is not a typo. We used to call the one-yen piece "Yennies" (you know, like pennies?) or - alternately - "head-flickers." Seriously, they're light-weight, small, and about as useful as a penny. I figured that since I was trying to come from a Japan-ish sort of environment, "penny" would be too American… then again, I guess the term "penny for your thoughts" is pretty American, so what can I say? Other than… yea, not a typo._

Hehe, excuse my language, but holy fuck on a stick. Am very (pleasantly) shocked by the reactions to this story. ^_^ And when I said I had read 1 Yuugi-on-top story… I lied. *hang head in shame* I had completely forgotten about 'After School Activities'; I read it forever ago. Great story, so thanks to everyone who pointed it out. XD 

This chapter turned out sort of choppy, but was there more for humor… because it sort of gets a little more serious after this. As for that sticker picture… use your imagination! Haha! *not sure why this is so funny* 

For some reason, I could just imagine Jounouchi not realizing that Yuugi was gay until the fact was already abundantly obvious to everyone else… that was something fun to write. :) 

The most overused word in this chapter is officially "ish". Such a great word… 


	4. Giving It a Shot

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Chapter 4:  
Giving It a Shot**

"_Ohayoo_, boys." 

Jounouchi yawned and somehow managed to curl even closer to Yuugi's warm body than he already was. It felt way too early to be awake. 

"I take it you had… fun… this weekend?" 

"_Jiichan!_" Yuugi sat straight up, throwing Jounouchi over at odd angles. Groggily the blond untangled himself from Yuugi and rolled over, nestling back into the mattress to go to sleep… 

_Jiichan?_ Jounouchi's eyes opened wide and sure enough, there was Yuugi's grandpa, standing in the doorway. His expression was a cross between horror and embarrassment. 

Yuugi was stumbling over his words. "I-I… I mean, we… Watching a movie… Oh, _Jiichan_, are you angry?" 

The old man stared blankly. "I think that Jounouchi should head home," he said slowly, as though he was choosing his words carefully. "We'll have to talk about this." 

Jounouchi blushed so dark he was sure it neared crimson. Being in bed together wouldn't have been so bad: they had shared a bed a number of times. Even being all tangled in each other could be covered as an innocent mistake of sleep. But add nudity into the mix… "Yea, I should probably go… do homework or something." That was a lie, and they all knew it. "Anyway… Uh, bye." He hurriedly found his clothes on the floor and pulled them on, all but running out of the house; he didn't slow to a normal pace until he was a fair distance away from the house. 

He hadn't grabbed his things… and he was wearing pajama pants. How much more embarrassing could his day get? It wasn't even noon yet! 

Ah well. He could get his things from Yuugi later. 

… 

There would be a later, right? Jounouchi knew that Yuugi's grandpa could be really cool about some things - like Yuugi sporadically 'saving the world' - but the fact remained that he was still an old guy, and that meant that deep down he had to have old-guy ideas. How did he feel about what he had seen? What would he do? 

When Jounouchi got home, his father was out. That was a relief; he could go straight to bed and not be asked any questions. He immediately went to his room, falling into the bed dramatically and yawning. 

While he was having deep and worrisome thoughts, he wondered if Yuugi would be mad that he ran off like that. True, Grandpa had - in his subtle, old-guy way - kicked Jounouchi out, but he could have stayed, could have defended what they had done… 

But how could he defend something he was still so unsure of? 

--

Jounouchi dropped his books onto his desk Monday morning, wishing that he had remembered the grab his backpack when he left Yuugi's on Sunday morning. Carrying books was a pain in the ass. 

Speak of the devil: Yuugi was coming towards him, holding out said missed backpacked with a shy smile. Shy? What the hell? Just when Jounouchi started to get used to the un-shy Yuugi, his friend went and changed modes on him! 

He was never going to understand Yuugi. 

"Forgot this," Yuugi said as he set the bag on Jounouchi's desk. "You're not too mad at me, are you?" 

"Nah, not mad. What about the old man; is he pissed?" 

Yuugi chuckled, leaning against the desk. "Not so much pissed as… freaked out. He spent all day yesterday giving me talk after talk. I only managed to get away when I had to shower and go to bed." 

"That bad?" 

"Well, not too bad," Yuugi admitted. "I think he was more embarrassed than I was. I got the 'safe-sex' talk, and he gave me about 2 lines of the 'saving yourself for marriage' speech before he thought better of it and changed topics. He switched to the 'in the closet' speech instead. I guess he's worried that I'll start having more problems in school if people find out that I like boys." 

I don't. Like boys. "Oh. He's probably right." 

"Egh. Then he…" Yuugi blushed. "Then he asked how long we've been together." 

They stared at each other in silence. Jounouchi hadn't thought of that either. "Um, should we be? You know… together?" That was weird. Were guys like that? It sounded suspiciously like a girly concept… 

"We don't need to be... It can just be sex… or we can be normal friends, like before." 

Jounouchi almost laughed. Yea, right; like before? He bit his lip and thought. Hard. Three days ago he wouldn't have even CONSIDERED looking at another guy like that, and now he was considering a relationship with one? Then again, was he a whore if he decided not to? In either case, they couldn't just act like nothing had happened… well, they could, but it would be weird… Because he had **really** liked it. Not just the sex, but the sweet stuff that wasn't about sex… it had been nice. 

He didn't think he was gay; there were a couple of other guys in the room, and he wasn't attracted to them. But when he looked at Yuugi something inside him - the straight side of him? - melted and simply pleaded to hold his friend close. Who was he to deny instinct? "I think we could give it a shot." 

Yuugi beamed up at him, and next thing he knew he had Yuugi wrapped around his waist. The melted part of him firmed up and panicked. Instinct be damned, he hadn't meant here! People would see! "Erm, a little at a time, though," Jounouchi added nervously. "I'm sort of new to this sort of thing." 

"Okay," Yuugi said cheerfully, disengaging from Jounouchi and shrugging. "You want to come over later?" 

Jounouchi blinked. "But your grandpa…" 

"He wants to talk to both of us anyway, so we might as well get that over with. Then we can move onto more interesting activities." Yuugi winked, and Jounouchi blushed. Yuugi had a point; if they had to talk to his grandpa, they might as well do it as soon as possible. 

"This afternoon… That's fine." 

**-tbc-**

* * *

**- author says -**  
This was so short! v.v I'm sorry… And I have to admit that it gets more serious after this… but it doesn't stay that way… 

I feel sort of weird, because the story doesn't stick to just the weekend, and - like it said - it gets serious… then serious… then funny… then serious again… then serious/funny. So on and so forth in that manner. ^^ I worry that maybe people didn't expect that… :) You'll all live. It'll be fun! 


	5. Public Display

**_ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!. sucks to be ashes._**

* * *

**Chapter 5:  
Public Display**

The first month was awkward. That was the only word Jounouchi could think to describe his relationship with Yuugi… and some days, 'awkward' felt like an understatement. 

First had been the talk with Yuugi's grandpa. The old man had insisted on rambling about how it was okay that they had feelings for each other - that it wasn't his place to stop them - but that they needed to be discreet and responsible. Secretly, Jounouchi had agreed, but Yuugi looked a bit irritated. Then again, who could expect discretion from a boy who wore leather and chains yet acted like an angel? Then he had laid down the rules. Most of them revolved around not having sex in the house… although there was an aside that he couldn't stop them from doing it anywhere else. 

Once they were alone up in his room - not ten minutes after his grandfather had made his rules obvious - Yuugi had challenged Jounouchi to a game: being as silent and discreet as possible while Yuugi did whatever he pleased. Jounouchi swore he nearly bit off his lower lip, but he won. 

Speaking of sex, Jounouchi still couldn't get over the fact that Yuugi topped him. Granted he had gotten used to it, and he could make Yuugi squirm and sigh, but somehow Yuugi always ended up on top. Jounouchi admitted to himself - and himself only - that he liked it… but it was sort of ironic. After all, Jounouchi had always been the one to defend Yuugi; naturally, if any would ever think of them in a relationship, they would think that Jounouchi would come out more dominant. 

But no one suspected anything… and that was the way Jounouchi liked it. No matter how assured he became in bed, he still shirked any public display of affection; he froze at any fleeting touch. He didn't want to people to know, didn't want them to think that he was… well, he wasn't quite sure what they would think, and he wasn't particularly eager to find out. Unfortunately, he could tell that Yuugi's seemingly endless patience did in fact have a limit, and Jounouchi was pushing it with his public shyness. Their present case was a good example. Jounouchi, Yuugi, Honda, Otogi, and Ryou were all relaxing in a local café, unwinding after school. Jounouchi was doing his damnedest to keep at least three inches of space between him and Yuugi. After about five minutes of trying to get closer to him, Yuugi had given up and started eating his food, absently playing with his fries and not contributing much to the banter. 

Jounouchi learned that it was difficult to joke around with friends while his lover was pouting, but he didn't do anything. Of all people, Jounouchi was most afraid of his friends finding out. True, they were his friends… but even the best of friends could be separated, and god only knew how they would react… and since Jounouchi was not a god, he didn't dare risk letting them know. As it stood he was sure that Honda suspected something, guessing by the looks that he kept giving them. 

There was a gentle caress to Jounouchi's thigh; he brushed it away, his movements covert and urgent, but Yuugi tugged at his wrist. Their three friends were oblivious of the small war of hands under the table. Jounouchi turned to look at Yuugi, and for a second the whole world seemed to pause. 

Written on the table in front of Yuugi were the words "I love you." Well, shaped, really. The message was crudely made using fries, with an angular heart representing the word "love," but the meaning was the same. Jounouchi didn't move, almost didn't breathe: just stared at the fries. He felt a jumble of confusion and surprise and joy and fear. Something seemed to tug at his heart, and it felt so strange, the stirring of emotion in his stomach…! Yuugi had never said anything like that before. 

Ah, Yuugi… His small lover was smiling at him, and Jounouchi realized that he meant it, that Yuugi loved him. 

"Hey man." Honda interrupted the moment, and the world around Jounouchi seemed to be set back into motion again, sickeningly quick and unwelcome. "Are you all right? I haven't seen you look like that since you got the money for Shizuka's surgery." 

"Yea," Ryou agreed softly. 

"I-" Jounouchi felt panic rise in his chest, disrupting and overcoming that warm and fuzzy feeling that had been there just seconds before. He couldn't explain! He reached over and took one the fries from Yuugi's message, popping into his mouth. "S'nothing." 

Immediately Otogi burst into laughter. "Leave it to Jou to get all choked up over _food!_" 

But Yuugi was not laughing. In fact, he was giving Jounouchi a death glare that could've made Kaiba cringe. 

"I need to use the restroom," he snapped, standing and leaving quickly. Jounouchi resisted the urge to groan. Yuugi was pissed. No, more than pissed: seething. Smoldering. Hell, maybe "really, really fucking mad" was the best phrase. It was certainly the only way Jounouchi could describe the look that was on Yuugi's face as he stomped off. 

"Was it just me, or did he look **really** ticked?" Honda wondered. 

"Uh, lemme go check," Jounouchi said hastily, standing so suddenly that he bumped into the table "Be right back." He didn't run to the bathroom, not wanting to seem TOO eager. Or scared shitless. 

He definitely qualified for option two. 

Yuugi was leaning against the far wall of the bathroom, glaring up into space in a very un-Yuugi manner. 

"Yuug'-" 

"Go." 

"But Yuugi-" 

"Fuck you." 

Jounouchi cringed. Perhaps "really, really fucking mad" was even an understatement. "Look, about what you said - uh, wrote -" 

"It obviously doesn't matter, because I broke one of the _infallible_ Jounouchi Katsuya's Rules of Dating!" Yuugi took an innocent posture, faking contemplation with a finger to his lips. "I wonder which one? Oh, right, how could I have forgotten," the mask of innocence was dropped, revealing Yuugi in all his anger as he spat, "rule number one: Jounouchi is only gay in private." 

"But I-" 

"I know! You've said it a hundred times: you're worried what people will think. What's the fucking point of 'being together' if it's only in private? I don't think that's what it should be about! And _damn it_, Jounouchi, today these were our friends! They won't care!" 

Jounouchi could feel himself flushing with anger; his hands shook ever so slightly as he finally snapped and argued, "What's wrong with keeping our relationship private? Would you prefer to parade me around and show me off like some bitch?" 

Yuugi laughed. Not his usual laugh of joy or amusement, but a humorless laugh, one that made Jounouchi pause with the utter _coldness_ of it. "Is THAT what it's about? Are you scared to let the world see that you're not so tough in everything you do? Afraid people won't think you're a threat when they find out you're topped by a boy - and not just a boy, but the shortest, wimpiest, most helpless kid in our school? Ashamed, Jounouchi?" 

Jounouchi blushed with embarrassment, flushed with anger; he could see his reflection in the mirror, and he was quite the interesting shade of red. Before he could come up with any comment to Yuugi's taunts the bathroom door opened. Both teens whirled around to see Otogi standing there, a look of curious astonishment on his face… Then again, if Jounouchi had walked in on… well, himself and Yuugi arguing, he would be surprised too. 

"Hi, Otogi," Yuugi said impatiently, no friendliness to his voice. He didn't look any less angry. 

"Uh, is everything okay in here?" Otogi asked slowly, taking a small step back. Jounouchi was almost amused; even Otogi backed away when faced with the wrath of Yuugi. 

"No, it's not okay!" Yuugi shouted, and Otogi took another step back. Yuugi continued, "And you want to know _why_ everyone is so **not** all right? BECAUSE I CAN MAKE JOUNOUCHI SCREAM AND HE'S ASHAMED OF THAT!" With that booming proclamation Yuugi stormed out of the bathroom, straight past Otogi, leaving Jounouchi and Otogi staring at each other. 

"What just happened?" Otogi asked. "Was that really Yuugi, or some clever trick to scare me out of my pants?" 

"Why would I want you out of your pants?" Jounouchi said wearily, propping his elbows on a nearby sink and letting his entire posture sag. "It's complicated." 

"Anything that makes Yuugi act like that is worth hearing, even if it takes me to my old age to hear it all." 

"Ugh. It's not pretty." Jounouchi stood and walked out of the bathroom. Otogi followed wordlessly all the way to the table. 

"What was that?" Honda asked. "Where did Yuugi just go?" 

What good could be accomplished by hiding it? Jounouchi took a fry and replaced the one he had eaten. He pointed to Yuugi's message and closed his eyes as everyone looked. It was silence at first. 

"Are you two lovers?" Ryou croaked, and Jounouchi nodded, opening his eyes. Ryou was blushing. 

"Man!" Otogi said. "I knew you were stupid, but this takes the cake." 

"Ouch. What's that supposed to mean?" Jounouchi demanded. 

"What guy eats a love confession?" Honda cut in. "You and your stupid pride; even **I** know when to quit." 

Jounouchi stared. 

"You need to fix this," Honda continued. 

"Fix it?" 

"Of course!" Ryou contributed passionately. "If he loves you, you can't just let him…" Ryou paused and looked slightly embarrassed. 

Otogi continued more calmly, "Let him sit for today, and talk to him tomorrow." 

Jounouchi nodded and ate another fry from Yuugi's message. He didn't want to leave Yuugi to sit. He wanted… he wanted to tell Yuugi that he wasn't a wimp, or helpless… he was just really short. He wanted to say that he was sorry he was ashamed. He wanted… 

"All right," he said softly, eating another fry. "Tomorrow." 

**-tbc-**

* * *

**- touch yer toes! -**  
Ha! Author didn't say! …sorry, just trying to lighten the mood. 

Well… we just sort of stepped out the boundaries of humor (though we did try to sneak a little bit in)… is it horrible? 

There was something really cute about saying "I love you" with fries. But anyway, I could see Yuugi having the ability to be very vindictive. I mean, even the nicest person has a mean streak once in a while. 

So I don't have much to say. v.v Oh! to… uhm, someone *names elude me right now* who asked, I don't have it all typed, but I have it all written in my notebook. I outlined it shortly after I started it. If I don't give myself some structure, I'll run in circles. ^_^ 


	6. Time To Choose

**_me? own yu-gi-oh? never._**

* * *

**Chapter 6:  
Time to Choose**

Jounouchi found one fatal flaw in his friends' advice: Yuugi wasn't talking to him. Yuugi wouldn't even look at him. Wouldn't let Jounouchi within 5 feet of him. By mid-morning Jounouchi was reduced to sulking in the back row of his third period, bitching to Otogi via note. 

Speaking of Otogi, the black-haired teen has just poked Jounouchi in the back, and without taking his eyes off the teacher Jounouchi reached back to take the folded piece of paper. He set it in his lap and unfolded it slowly. The teacher didn't notice, and he glanced down to read. 

"_Look_," Otogi had written, "_this all happened because you're ashamed to be gay, right?_" 

Jounouchi frowned. He set the paper on his desk and scribbled a quick "_Yes_." The paper went back. 

The paper came back a few minutes later. "_Suck it up and stop being such a wimp! Either you care about Yuugi enough not to care what people will think, or you're just toying with him." _

"You sound like a chick." 

"I've heard this speech a few times." 

"I believe that. And for the record, if anyone's toying with anyone, Yuugi's the one toying with me." He thought for a second, and his hand shook just a bit as he added, "_You wouldn't believe what he's like in bed._" 

After a moment he heard Otogi make a noise somewhere between a laugh and a sigh, and then there was a whisper in his ear: "If you can admit that to me, you're already getting somewhere." 

"Thanks for the pep talk," Jounouchi answered lowly, trying not to draw any attention to them. "But do you have any ideas how to make him listen to me?" 

Before Otogi could respond the teacher cut in, "Mr. Jounouchi, can you answer my question?" 

"Uh… Syria?" 

The teacher stared, and a few students snickered. "I don't even want to know how you came up with 'Syria' from the discriminant. At least _pretend_ to pay attention." 

Jounouchi rolled his eyes as the teacher resumed teaching his lesson. 

"Nice try, but Geography was last period," Otogi joked. 

"Really? How many classes do we have together?" 

"A couple. But as far as advice goes… Corner him. Don't let him leave until you've had your say." 

"Thanks." 

--

Jounouchi liked Otogi's suggestion. He practically stalked Yuugi all the way to the cafeteria after the lunch bell rang; once they were both inside he cornered him… literally, right into a corner of the room where there were the least people. 

"We have to talk." 

"Go to hell," Yuugi spat. 

"C'mon, Yuugi, you're being a completely asshole!" Shit, he was yelling. People were looking. 

"**I'm** being an asshole? I have every right to be an asshole! You ate my fry!" 

Jounouchi rolled his eyes and shouted back, "That sounds stupid! Why would you choose to say that THEN? And why with fries?" 

"Because it seemed like a good way to say it! In any normal relationship what I did would be considered a step forward. But you," Yuugi hissed this last word, "you freak out because someone might see! How am I supposed to feel about that?" Apparently Yuugi didn't care who heard his tirade… and from the looks they were getting, just about everyone had heard. 

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" Maybe he should have said it a little less harshly… 

His feeble apology was met with sarcasm: "Yea, okay." 

"Damn it, I mean it!" 

They both paused, and Jounouchi was aware of how much attention their scene was attracting. Even the lunch monitors were watching instead of breaking up fights like they usually did. Damn. Maybe Jounouchi should have cornered Yuugi somewhere a little more private… 

"You mean it?" Skepticism laced Yuugi's words; it was a little heart breaking. Jounouchi had never heard Yuugi sound like that. 

Wait… did that mean Yuugi was forgiving him? "Yes!" 

"Then kiss me." All skepticism was gone; Yuugi was giving him an ultimatum, and Jounouchi hadn't seen it coming. He blinked, resisting the sudden weakness in his knees. 

"Here?" he squeaked. Great, he was trying to show Yuugi that he cared and ended up sounding something like a hamster. How special. 

_Smooth, Jou._

"_Hai_. Either we're lovers-" people started whispering; damn, Yuugi was loud, even when he was threatening instead of yelling "- and all these people can go fuck themselves, or we're fuck buddies who are dangerously close to going back to being just friends." Yuugi's gaze didn't falter, and the determination in his huge purple eyes was like _déjà vu_. Jounouchi had seen it before, but never directed at him, not like this. "Now's your chance to choose." 

Jounouchi stared at Yuugi. He was in a horrible limbo; on one hand there was at least half of the cafeteria staring, many of them people that couldn't stand him and only stayed at bay for fear of his temper. They were people who didn't need to know about his personal life, and would give him and Yuugi hell for their relationship. He didn't want them to see, didn't want them to know. 

But on the other hand he cared about Yuugi, and he knew that no matter how brazen Yuugi acted, deep down he was still sensitive. If Jounouchi rejected him… Jounouchi was angry enough at himself for getting Yuugi so pissed off to start with. Honda was right; his pride could be stupid… 

Yuugi was waiting patiently, glaring at Jounouchi, and the blond just stared. 

What could he do? 

**-tbc-**

* * *

**- author says -**  
^_^ This is short. I'm sorry. I think the next part is much longer. Well, "much" might be an exaggeration… but it IS longer. I think this might have been longer - that is, I could have integrated parts of the next part for this, but this just seemed like such a terrific ending place for the part. I tried to integrate, but it just broke my heart. Heh… 

I guess I gotta say _domo arigato_ to Kalynn (whom I doubt has ever/will ever read this, lmao), who is where I learned the uniquely awesome phrase "fuck buddies". 

I tried to sneak some humor into their argument, for the sake of… well, sanity… but its supposed to be all serious, you know? 


	7. Jounouchi's Decision

**_disclaimers are a boring but necessary evil. ^_^ ashes no own yu-gi-oh._**

* * *

**Chapter 7:  
Jounouchi's Decision**

It took a small eternity, but Jounouchi moved. He knelt down to Yuugi's level and stared at him. 

_Who was he to deny instinct?_

He leaned in to Kiss Yuugi, one hand framing the side of his face. Yuugi responded almost immediately, arms wrapping around Jounouchi's neck. 

Jounouchi didn't know who squealed, but if he ever found out he would personally beat the person to death with their own lunch tray. 

The kiss deepened, and Jounouchi felt a mixture of relief and pleasure as Yuugi's tongue brushed eagerly over his lips, invaded his mouth and drove him wild… 

There was that squealing again. Maybe the cafeteria wasn't the best place for lengthy kisses of apology. He broke the kiss. "Can we go talk about this in private?" 

Yuugi nodded, and they started to leave. Jounouchi looked nervously around the cafeteria. Damn, how many people were staring? 

Once they were out of the cafeteria they found an empty classroom and ducked in, closing the door behind them. Yuugi jumped up to sit on a desk, leaning down on his palms. "You have no idea how embarrassing it was when you did that." 

"What, just now? But you told me-" 

"Not now, yesterday." 

Jounouchi let his guard down, leaning against the desk directly across from Yuugi. "About that-" 

"I know, I know," Yuugi said a little wearily. "You have serious boy issues. But damn, Jounouchi; that's not something I say lightly. Not something I say unless I mean it." Yuugi paused, blushing and looking down at the ground. "It took a lot of guts. Sure, being confident in bed is one thing, but say that… it hurt when you said 'nothing', like it really was nothing." 

"Yuug'…" Jounouchi took a step forward to fold Yuugi into a hug. He didn't know how to continue, what to say. "Man, you've completely fucked with the way I see things." 

Yuugi laughed; the noise made Jounouchi's heart jump. "That's not all I fuck with." 

Jounouchi rolled his eyes. "You have worse lines that Otogi." He kissed Yuugi again, and immediately Yuugi wound a leg around Jounouchi's waist and pulled himself up against Jounouchi, using the leverage of his arms around Jounouchi's shoulders to his advantage. In surprise Jounouchi almost let him fall; luckily he thought to grab hold of Yuugi, one arm around his waist, the other on his backside. Yuugi grinned and pulled the other leg up so that both were holding firm to Jounouchi's waist. Jounouchi sat back on the desk behind him, afraid his legs would give out if Yuugi kissed him again… 

"Ahem!" Jounouchi and Yuugi both looked to see a teacher standing in the doorway. "I believe there are rules about this sort of thing." 

Yuugi released Jounouchi, sliding to his feet. "Sorry," he said meekly, and they both left. Yuugi was grinning despite what had just happened. "Come on," he said conspiratorially. "We can do lock ourselves in the bathroom." 

--

By afternoon classes word had spread. In his sixth period Jounouchi was accosted by a group of blushing girls. 

"You and Motou are really a couple?" one girl with a painfully high voice asked. "That's so _kawaii!_" 

"Uh, yea, I guess," Jounouchi grunted noncommittally. Figured; the only time he had more girls hanging on him than Otogi, and it was the only time he would have preferred to be left alone. Immediately the giggling began. 

"I didn't know there were boys like that here at Domino High!" another girl exclaimed excitedly. "That's terrific!" 

"Ladies, ladies," Otogi cut in suavely, pushing his way into the group and leaning against Jounouchi's desk. "Give the man some air." 

The girls were eyeing Otogi… then Jounouchi… then Otogi again. "Is there in any chance of you two getting together?" 

"What? No!" Otogi answered quickly, holding his hands up. Jounouchi folded his arms on his desk and laid his head on them. For a while the girls harassed Otogi, but apparently even when Jounouchi sat quietly he wasn't safe. 

"What's it like to kiss Motou?" someone asked. 

"Huh?" Jounouchi looked up. Why would they ask that? Why would they care? 

"It looked like a pretty intense kiss. I was surprised," another girl elaborated… a different one. How many were there? "I would've thought that he'd be a shy lover." 

Jounouchi snorted with laughter… hey, wait a minute, why would they being thinking of what Yuugi was like as a lover? His laughter was replaced with a suspicious glare. 

"Yuugi's a surprising little guy," Otogi butted in. Ten seconds passed. 

"Were you ever with Yuugi?" 

"Ah! No!" Otogi exclaimed. Jounouchi let his suspicion ebb, enjoying Otogi's temporary bout of stupidity. A man couldn't win against girls like these… 

"So..." The girls' attention shifted back to Jounouchi. "What's it like?" 

"It's, uh… nice." 

"Just nice?" Oh god, girls were starting to look pout-y and rolling their eyes. Ah damn. If he was going to get so much attention, he might as well milk it for what it was worth and give them something to think about. 

"I'm not a kiss and tell sort of guy," he said with a wink. There! Girls liked that answer, giggling and whispering to each other. 

"Have you two ever-" 

"Order. Ladies, I'm sure that Jounouchi is going to need breathing room sooner or later," the teacher said reproachfully from his desk at the front of the room. The girls filtered off to their own seats, still giggling and blushing. The teacher continued, "Mr. Otogi, don't you have a class to be to?" 

Hey, that's right; Otogi wasn't in his science class! 

"Yea, but who could resist such a group of good-looking ladies?" With a wink and a wave Otogi left, leaving a classroom full of swooning girls behind him. 

Jounouchi's seventh period was gym. If the girls were bad, Jounouchi expected the locker room to be worse. It was the only time he didn't want to go to gym. Thing was… it wasn't as bad as he had expected. A few guys left the locker room, or changed somewhere more private, but most of the guys treated him normally. A few of them even joked about it! One guy commented, "We used to think that you two were a little too close, but we didn't think you'd ever get THAT close!" The only really bad part was that the teacher couldn't seem to meet his eyes. Jounouchi was surprised; did the teacher already know? 

By the time the school day was over, Jounouchi was starting to feel better about people in school knowing about him and Yuugi. It wasn't at all like he had feared. He got home and immediately lied out on his bed. 

What a Thursday! 

--

By Friday morning word seemed to have gotten further, and it had reached the ears of all the wrong people. Suddenly people were meaner, and Jounouchi heard sneers and jabs in the hallway; someone even had the balls to shove him against his locker! Unfortunately he didn't find out who it was, or we would have given them a piece of his mind… 

The teachers seemed to have caught wind of it too. Then again, after being caught in a classroom like they had, that didn't shock Jounouchi as much as it might have if events had gone differently. But the way the teachers reacted threw him for a loop. 

He and Yuugi had first period study hall together. After calling role the teacher had made an embarrassing display of moving them so that they were sitting on opposite sides of the room. She even made the off-hand comment - for the whole class to hear - that she didn't "approve of the stupidity of teenagers who didn't understand the consequences of their actions." 

In Algebra class they had their tests returned. Jounouchi had failed it as expected, but there was a small folded paper stapled to one corner. He expected a detention slip - after all, his teacher hated him - and instead got a note. "_It's about time that someone turned everyone's ideas upside down. I'm proud you had the guts to do something like that in public. If only you could pour a little of that passion into your schoolwork._" 

Jounouchi looked up and stared at the teacher. That man was actually proud of him? How unusual was THAT? 

The rest of Jounouchi's morning classes went normally, without any more asides from teachers and only the occasional insult from other students. Still, that occasional insult was enough to have him fuming. He changed his mind; it was just as bad as he had thought it would be. He knew that people would be assholes about it! 

He saw Yuugi in the hallway, being followed by three guys… and flipped. Yuugi had his head bowed, obviously ignoring the people behind him. Jounouchi growled low in his throat. The weak ones always did hunt in packs. 

"I always thought you were girly," the kid -the leader? - was jeering, "but now we know…" He trailed off as he saw Jounouchi approaching. "Oh," he said smoothly, condescendingly. "We've pissed off your _boyfriend_. Fucking fags. So, Jounouchi, is the kid your bitch? I guess he's just the right size to suck your-" 

Jounouchi didn't realize that he had hit the guy. One second he was advancing, and the next second the leader was on the ground, hand over his face. Jounouchi was disappointed; it must have been a good hit, judging by the look of his lackeys' faces. With a feeling a triumph Jounouchi glared down at the leader. "Leave. Him. Alone," he growled. 

"Oh, how touching," the boy on the ground mocked. "I'm not scared of some… fairy!" 

"Fairy…!" Jounouchi watched as the boy pushed himself up to his feet, waited… and he then attacked again, toppling them both to the ground in a flurry of curses and badly-aimed punches. 

How was Jounouchi supposed to know that the principal was coming down the hall? 

Somehow the bully's two friends weaseled away, but Jounouchi and Yuugi found themselves sitting outside the principal's office obediently, waiting silently to learn what was in store for them… or rather, what was in store for Jounouchi. They had each given their sides of the story, and the principal had already decided that Yuugi wasn't in trouble and said he could return to class. Jounouchi was touched that Yuugi decided to wait with him instead. 

"Thanks," Yuugi mumbled, breaking the silence. "You shouldn't have gotten yourself in trouble." 

"It was nothin'," Jounouchi assured him, wrapping an arm around Yuugi's slender shoulders. The secretary glared at them, and he took his arm back. Neither boy spoke, and soon the principal's door opened. The bully stormed out, not sparing a glance for Yuugi and Jounouchi. "That's my cue," Jounouchi said brightly. He'd been here enough times, gotten in enough trouble to know the drill. He entered the office quietly, closing the door behind him. 

"Welcome back. Please, have a seat," the principal said amiably. Jounouchi obeyed, sitting back in his seat and resting his feet up on the desk. He ignored the older man's reproachful look. "Mr. Jounouchi, you were doing so well. It's been at least 2 months since I've seen you." 

"Has it been that long?" Jounouchi asked. "Must be loosing my touch." 

"Don't be cute; you're in trouble. I know you're protective of Mr. Motou, but I've told you time and time again that you can't beat up everyone who harasses him." 

"Well, he won't." 

"That makes him the brains of your operation." 

"Maybe I should stop fighting," Jounouchi mused, "just so I don't have to listen to your stupid jokes." 

The principal smiled. "Whatever works. But back to the matter at hand. I understand that you were provoked, and I sympathize… but I can't do nothing, you understand? I'm going to suspend you for the rest of today and Monday. Next time keep your personal affairs off school grounds." 

"Is that all?" 

"Yes. Get off school property, and tell Mr. Motou to get to class." 

_Woo hoo, three-day weekend!_

**-tbc-**

* * *

**- author says -**  
Okay, we all knew Jounouchi was going to do that, right? Shh, it's not the point that you knew; we wanted to pretend to cast doubt. ^_^ 

I've been suspended before (hey, I'm a good kid; I had good reasons!), and I know it's a little more formal than that… but we can pretend, ne? -_-U He gets suspended, and all Jou can think is "three-day weekend." How special. I think I had a little too much fun with the banter between Jou and the principal, because he seems like the sort of guy who would waltz in there, know all the administrators by name, and waltz out just as happily with a goodbye of "until next time!" ^^ 

That "worse lines than Otogi" thing… I've always imagined him as a bit of playboy, even before I had a clue who the hell he was. He just LOOKS like that sort of guy… and any guy with his own cheerleaders… B'cht, I'm just jealous; I want cheerleaders. ^_^ *good mood tonight* 

And those girls…! They were a lot of fun to write. 


	8. An Inch Forward but a Foot Back

**_who owns yu-gi-oh? "not I!" says the samurai._**

* * *

**Chapter 8:  
An Inch Forward but a Foot Back**

When Jounouchi woke up on Monday morning he found a familiar figure curled against him, purple eyes open and staring at him. Yuugi was smiling. "What are you doing here?" Jounouchi asked, yawning. "Did my dad let you in?" 

Yuugi nodded. "A couple of hours ago; he was on his way out. I guess he thought I was picking you up for school or something." 

"Well, I ain't complaining, but why aren't you in school?" 

"I'm skipping to keep you in company." 

Jounouchi frowned and pointed out, "You'll fall behind in classes." 

"Not because of one day," Yuugi retorted. "I figure it's my fault you got suspended. Besides, the extra sleep was nice, and if we have **all day** to ourselves…" Yuugi's lips brushed along Jounouchi's bare shoulder. 

"Mm, sounds nice, but we can't do anything here," Jounouchi said a little remorsefully. "I have no clue when my dad'll be home, and I'd rather not know how he'd react if he saw us doing something." 

"Damn," Yuugi sighed. "We can't go home; _Jiichan_ thinks I'm at school." 

"Yuugi," Jounouchi said lowly, "he's gonna be pissed if the school calls and asks where you are." 

"It'll be fine," Yuugi commented with a grin. "Anzu's covering for me." 

"Ah." There was no arguing with Yuugi, especially if Anzu was helping with his delinquency. "Why don't we just… I don't know, go wander or something?" 

That was exactly what they did, and sometime around 11 they found themselves at a playground, playing on the equipment like 5-year-olds. They got a lot of strange and scathing looks for mothers - especially whenever they found an excuse to kiss - but it didn't bother Jounouchi. It felt nice to act carefree and stupid. Cathartic, really: a way to let loose all the nervous tension he hadn't realized had been building up. They went to get some food from a nearby vendor for lunch; it didn't take them long to eat, and before they knew it they were back to playing, without a care in the world. Somehow, in all their playing, Yugi managed to pin Jounouchi down into a tube slide, grinning down at him. "Caught you," he said triumphantly, smirking to show his pride. He leaned down to give Jounouchi a quick kiss. 

"Oh. _Damn_," Jounouchi mocked, play-acting like he was upset. 

Yuugi laughed and cuddled against him. "I love you," he said softly. His was words were hesitant, as though he wasn't sure if he should have said anything at all. Jounouchi stared down at the top of Yuugi's head, and - as if on cue - Yuugi looked up to meet his eyes. 

He couldn't say it. Even if he wanted to, the words seemed caught in his throat. It didn't make sense! He cared for Yuugi, he knew he did, and he could feel the tightening of emotion in his chest, but there were no words to accompany that feeling. He was happy with Yuugi, but… 

He smiled and responded fondly, "I know." It was a far cry from what Yuugi wanted to hear, but it was the best he could muster. Yuugi looked disappointed momentarily, and then put on a smile; it wasn't convincing enough. Jounouchi internally swore at himself. He wasn't trying to play with Yuugi's emotions like that! 

A watched beeped. Yuugi's watch. "Oh," Yuugi said softly. "I didn't realize it got so late. I need to go home; _Jiichan_ wants me to help with the shop today after school." He extracted himself from the slide, and Jounouchi followed, quickly pulling Yuugi into a hug as though that could express words he couldn't speak. Yuugi lingered for moment, leaning against him before he pulled back. "I have to go. Bye Jou!" He smiled and walked away, waving one last time before he turned the corner and left Jounouchi's line of vision. 

Smiling or not, Jounouchi had seen that look, the agonizing mixture of disappointment and regret… He'd be damned before he caused Yuugi to look like that again. He ran to catch Honda; luckily his friend took the same route home from school as he always did. "I need your help," he said without wasting time or breath with a greeting. 

"Eh? Help?" 

"Yea." Jounouchi explained his dilemma as they walked, right down to what he had felt just minutes ago, when Yuugi had made his confession again. 

"Shit, man, I suck with advice, you know that," Honda admitted. "I asked for your help on this sort of thing, remember?" 

Jounouchi nodded. "I remember. Yuugi and I helped you, so now help us." 

"Maybe it's all in your head. It can't be that hard to say. Listen." Honda grabbed Jounouchi by the shoulders and looked at him seriously. "I love you." A girl passed them on the sidewalk, staring at them like they were aliens. Honda flushed and they began walking again. "See, simple." 

"Not, it's not," Jounouchi replied sadly, shaking his head. "You didn't mean it. I want to mean what I say." 

"Damn. Ask Anzu; she's a chick, and she always has good advice." 

"Yea," Jounouchi said absently. "Yea, you're right. I'll ask Anzu tomorrow." He wrapped an arm around Honda's shoulders, squeezing his friend affectionately. "Thanks." 

**-tbc-**

* * *

**- author says -**  
This is, again, for transition… *giggle* Since it's so short, it's posted at the same time as Chapter 9. In all honesty, the two were meant to go together. And I love Chapter 9; I couldn't leave it be for long. If at all. 

I'm in love with that girl on the sidewalk. I can just SEE that little part playing out. XD 

Oh! hey, cheerleading offer! Wow. That blew my mind, in the best possible way. :) I don't think we have formal cheerleading sign-ups around here… ^_~ So here works. 


	9. 10 Yen Tidbits

**_the samurai doesnt own Yu-Gi-Oh, but if you like we could start an uprising and try to take it by force. o.O_**

* * *

**Chapter 9:  
10-Yen Tidbits**

Jounouchi had Geography with Anzu. He sat beside her Tuesday morning. "I need some advice," he said plainly. He didn't want to have to build up to it; he didn't feel like he had the time. 

Anzu perked up. "Advice? You never ask for advice." 

"Yea, well, this is important." 

"Okay. What's your problem?" 

Jounouchi looked around before answering quietly, "Yuugi." 

"Oh no," she moaned wearily. "Did you guys fight again yesterday?" 

"No, no, nothing like that," Jounouchi assured her. "But… well… he said he loves me." 

"He does," Anzu said matter-of-factly. "Why do you need help with that?" 

"I couldn't say it back." 

"What?" 

Jounouchi wasn't sure if she was asking in shock or genuine confusion; he elaborated, "I couldn't tell him that I love him." 

Anzu seemed to take a moment to consider things. "You do love him, right?" 

… 

Jounouchi hadn't thought of that. He simply took it for fact that he loved Yuugi without really examining his feelings. "I… I think… I…" 

"Oh god, Jounouchi!" she said exasperatedly. "You'll never be able to say it if you don't know! Saying you love someone isn't about parroting the words, it's about genuine emotion. You have to know and you have to want to say it." 

Jounouchi thought about what she said as class began. Yea. That was advice. Good advice. Right? 

--

Yuugi wasn't in school on Wednesday, which gave Jounouchi the entire lunch period to seek Anzu out for more advice… and, of course, she was nowhere to be found. After a couple of minutes Jounouchi gave up and sat down at a table to eat his lunch. To his surprise, Ryou joined him. Ryou was never around during lunch. 

"Where's Yuugi?" Ryou asked, resting his elbows on his table and setting his chin on his palms. Those wide brown eyes were staring at him inquisitively. 

"Home sick," Jounouchi answered, taking his sandwich from its plastic wrap. 

"Ah, good. I heard about your problem with Yuugi," Ryou said, grabbing Jounouchi's sandwich and taking a bite. After mourning the loss of a bit of his sandwich Jounouchi realized what Ryou had said. 

"Wait, how did you hear about it?" He reclaimed his sandwich and took a bite, watching Ryou. 

"Anzu talked to me about it. Rather, she ranted. She's afraid you two will loose each other because you're quote 'emotionally constipated'." 

Jounouchi made a mental note to hug Anzu for caring, even if she did call him emotionally constipated. "That's sweet." 

"I thought so. Listen, I may not know much about healthy relationships, but I wanted to put in my 10 yen." 

Healthy? He'd ask about that later. "And what's your 10 yen?" 

"Don't say it in bed. Or afterwards." 

"Never?" 

"Well, maybe later, once he knows you mean it. But before then he's going to wonder if it's you or your dick talking." 

Jounouchi frowned. "You sure?" 

Ryou looked strangely solemn. "Trust me." He looked to the clock on the wall. "I need to go; I only came here to tell you that." 

"_Arigato_," Jounouchi said. "It'll help. Just… don't spread the word, okay? The last thing I need is the Jou-and-Yuugi fan club to find out that I need help." 

"Fan club?" Ryou asked with a raised eyebrow. Jounouchi jerked a thumb to point towards a table behind him, filled with the same group of girls from the last Thursday. "Ah, I see. Well, bye." 

Jounouchi watched Ryou leave. That had been unexpected… 

--

Thursday's Algebra lesson began with a bang… right to the back of Jounouchi's head. After a second of confusion Jounouchi realized that his assailant was none other than Otogi. "What?" he demanded irritably, rubbing the back of his head and mumbling, "Fuckin' dice…" 

"Idiot," Otogi said good-naturedly. "For once Honda's right; it's all in your head." 

Jounouchi sighed and laid his head on the desk. "Goddamn, do you guys sit around drinking tea and talking about my issues?" 

Otogi was grinning, Jounouchi could tell by the tone of his voice. "Actually, we drank coffee, and the only reason we did it was because someone else was paying. It turned out to be a pretty good-sized shindig." 

"No," Jounouchi groaned. "Who else knows?" 

Before Otogi could explain further the class was called to order, leaving Jounouchi to his grim curiosities about exactly how many people knew about his problem. 

--

Friday came and went without a shred of advice, much to Jounouchi's relief; all those 10-yen tidbits were getting him more confused than he already was. So he was almost bouncing with elation as he went to his locker… Until he noticed a folded piece of paper taped to it. He pulled it off slowly and opened it, staring down at the handwriting. It was messy, and it didn't belong to anyone he knew. 

"_If you break this spirit, I'll be forced to break your legs. He needs all his fighting spirit to deal with me._" 

It was unsigned, but Jounouchi only knew one person who would sound like that. He crumbled the paper up and threw it against his locker; it bounced off and hit him in the forehead. 

Terrific! Nothing like a threat on his legs to make the situation easier. 

--

By Saturday afternoon Jounouchi was nearing desperation. He wanted to fix whatever was wrong with him and get on with things! As it stood he was avoiding spending too much time with Yuugi, worried that he might find himself in that situation again, and if he kept making excuses Yuugi would catch on and things would go downhill **again**… 

He called his sister before dinner. 

"Jou!" she squealed into the phone. "It's great to hear from you!" 

"Yea," he said, holding the phone a little away from his ear with a smile, "it's good to hear from you too." He relaxed back in the couch and tried not to fidget. "Listen, what do you now about love?" 

Shizuka giggled. "Why?" 

"Friend of mine asked for some advice." 

"Ooh, and you couldn't help them on your own?" She sounded so… mischievous. Jounouchi squirmed; exactly how sneaky and devious was his little sister, anyway? It had been years… 

"Yea, I get stuck when it comes to this whole 'love' deal." 

"Jounouchi, just tell Yuugi you love him." Jounouchi's jaw dropped, and he couldn't come up with a coherent word: his sister knew! "You must," she continued, oblivious to Jounouchi's shock, "if you're willing to ask so many people for advice. You never ask for help." 

"How do you know?" he sputtered, a little louder than he intended. He didn't mean to shout, but - damn it! - if anyone was going to tell his sister, it should have been him! 

"Don't yell. Honda told me. Then Otogi told me. I think that between the two of them I've got the story straight." 

"It ain't exactly a 'straight' story," Jounouchi grumbled. When he got his hands on those two… 

"You're so stupid when you're angry," Shizuka teased. "Jou, it's not so hard as you're making it. Just speak from your heart." She paused, and Jounouchi heard talking in the background. "Mom's done making dinner, so I've got to go. Was I any help?" 

_Not really_. "Of course," Jounouchi told her affectionately. It was okay to lie to her in this case. 

"Good. Love you!" The phone clicked, and she was gone. 

After that Jounouchi went for a walk, sitting on a bench in the park where he had realized he couldn't tell Yuugi that he loved him. Seemed significant to go there to think. He heaved a sigh and tried to mentally summarize all the advice he had received in the past week. 

He had to say it because he wanted to, not in imitation, and he had to speak from his heart. And he couldn't do it in bed. And if he didn't do something, he was going to be out two legs. For something that sounded so simple, it sure was giving Jounouchi a huge headache. 

"Hey, kid," a suave voice interrupted his glum mood, and he looked over to see Mai take a seat beside him. She crossed her legs; that meant she intended to stay for a while. He groaned. Mai! Of all people! That was as bad as his sister… 

"You too?" He leaned back against the bench, letting his head roll back so that he could stare up at the stars. "Damn." 

"I'm the one who had to pay for an hours-worth of coffee for a bunch of teenagers, so I think you should pity me, not yourself." 

"Fine." 

They sat in silence, and Jounouchi didn't look away from the stars. Wow, there were a lot of them, twinkling down at him like winking eyes, devious and conniving, watching everything and laughing at him. He was getting the irrational urge to shake his fist at the sky, but Mai interrupted him before he got the chance. "C'mon," she taunted, "you know you want to talk about it." 

"Ugh," he groaned. "What don't you know?" 

"Well, I don't know what you're thinking or feeling." 

"I'm scared, pissed, confused… fuck, I'm feeling like a rubber band that's stretched around the world," Jounouchi blurted, letting everything spill. "I mean, goddamn, less than two months ago I didn't think of guys, or even love, but then archeology had to go and turn everything upside down!" 

"Archeology?" she asked. 

"Uhh, don't think about it." 

Mai tittered. What a silly noise; it made Jounouchi smile. "Okay. So you're mostly confused from the sound of it. You always do act like a bitch when you get confused." Jounouchi growled, and Mai stared… "Oh! I didn't think that were… Does that bother you?" 

Jounouchi shrugged. "I don't know. Sometimes it does, but when… well, when… stuff is happening, I like it." He blushed. "Not that you need to know any of that." 

"Hon, what's more embarrassing for you right now: that you're so confused that you need help, or that you're talking about your feelings for a guy with a girl you once liked?" 

Jounouchi turned abruptly and stared at her. Or rather, from his angle, ended up staring at her chest. He cleared his throat and looked up at her face. She'd known…? "I never-" 

"Oh, can it!" she said playfully. "You used to stare at my boobs all the time." She smiled, looking thoughtful for a moment. "You're not now. That must mean something. Maybe this is a turning point for you. After all, everyone experiments, myself included-" 

Jounouchi almost slipped off the bench. He righted himself, sitting properly in his seat and gawking at Mai. "Can I have pictures?" 

She hit him half-heartedly, smiling. "I'm trying to give you wisdom; stop being a pervert. I'm serious, it's one thing to try something new, but to be in love…" She looked at her watch. "Well, babe, I hate to ruin the moment, but I've got places to be." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Good luck; we're all cheering for you." She stood and smiled down at him for a second before leaving. Jounouchi watched her walk away. 

Damn. Mai was deep. 

He thought about what she said, and realized that she was right. Experimenting implied that he could turn back at any moment and pretend it had never happened. Being in love meant that there was no pretending, no excuses. There was a frightening sense of finality to admitting love, especially to another guy. But things couldn't just hang in limbo while he sat in the park, shaking like a scared dog. He had to settle the issue once and for all. "Thanks, Mai," he murmured as he stood to walk to the game shop. 

**-tbc-**

* * *

**- author says -**  
When I outlined the story, this was my favorite part. It's just funny… and I love the scene with Mai. I wanted someone obscure and bizarre to be the one to give Jou advice that actually clicked in that pretty little head of his, and for some reason she's the one who wanted to do it. 

Ack! We're almost done! Which is… sort of bad, only because I've been fighting with the last part; it's being argumentative. Hmph; I have to beat that into submission. The next update will probably be both those chapters, so… depending on how long it takes me to beat the epilogue down… 

You know, that line about "healthy relationships" sort of snuck in there without asking me first, and I find myself compelled to follow it... hmmm... *thinks about that* 


	10. Something to Say

**_the samurai is poor, and doesn't own yu-gi-oh._**

* * *

**Chapter 10:  
Something to Say**

Jounouchi had a sudden… well, something - Burst of emotion? Revelation? Enlightenment? - when he was halfway to the game shop. 

He knew exactly what he was going to say. 

He knew exactly how to say it. 

He ran the rest of the way… and all the game shop lights were off. The front door was locked. He swore… Wait! Yuugi's bedroom light was on; he could climb up… "Ew," he said out loud. How cliché, and sappy, and movie-stupid… He whined nonsensically; he didn't want to be so dramatic, but he wanted to make his thoughts known while they were still fresh in his mind! Finally he decided that he had to do it and set on the task of climbing. It took him fifteen minutes, and he fell twice. At least luck was on his side: the window was unlocked. He was able to open it and lean on the windowsill, breathing heavily, half of his body hanging out the window. Climbing was a lot harder than it looked! 

Then luck left his side: Yuugi wasn't in his room. Terrific as usual! He finally had something important to say and no one was home! He pulled himself all the way up into the window, sitting on the sill and leaning against his knees. The world was against him; that was the only way to explain it. And he had wasted all that time (and energy) climbing…! He pounded his fist against the wall in frustration. 

Yuugi's grandfather came rushing in. "Who's that?" he demanded loudly, holding… some frighteningly painful-looking object that Jounouchi couldn't identify over his head. Jounouchi panicked, holding his arms up in surrender. 

"It's just me!" 

The old man blinked and lowered the dangerous-looking object. "Jou…? What are you doing in Yuugi's window?" 

Jounouchi tried to think of how to explain what he was doing, but came out with no logical reason for having climbed up the window like some stalker. He blushed, averting his gaze so he couldn't see the reproachful look on Yuugi's grandpa's face. "It was important to talk to Yuugi." 

"…and you couldn't knock on the front door like a normal person?" 

The blush burned hotter. "I, ah, thought everyone was asleep." 

The elder man heaved a sigh. "I was. Yuugi isn't here; he went over to Anzu's about half an hour ago." 

Yuugi went out? Damn it! "Oh. Uh, sorry to bother you, _Jiichan_." Hey, that was the first time Jounouchi had called him that… 

The old man softened a bit. _Go affectionate nicknames!_ "Go out the front door, Jou." 

"Thanks," Jounouchi said gratefully, rushing out; he didn't want to press his luck. 

--

Anzu's house yielded no better results. It turned out that everyone had grouped there and then left for a movie. 

At least he had knocked on the door. 

With a considerable - and, in his opinion, reasonable - amount of irritation Jounouchi walked to the movie theater and made himself comfortable against a tree. If he had done his math right, he was going to be waiting another hour… and knowing his luck, it would probably be longer. He settled himself in for the long wait, trying to keep his thoughts clear in his head; he didn't want to go through so much trouble only to get confused when he finally saw Yuugi. Ten minutes passed. The stars dimmed, the sky became overcast… 

"Don't," Jounouchi said menacingly to the sky. 

Thunder rumbled as though in response. 

"Please?" Hey, he was willing to beg if it helped… 

…but rain poured down anyway, droplets hitting the ground with such force that they seemed to shatter and bounce on impact. Jounouchi sighed. "I hate you." Reduced to loathing Mother Nature; what a night! All he wanted to do was talk to Yuugi, and instead he got all **this**. Half an hour passed. The rain slowed to a drizzle, but Jounouchi was already soaked so he really didn't give a damn. After all, he already looked like a drenched rat; that wasn't how he had wanted to have his talk with Yuugi… 

Another half an hour passed before people began filtering out of the theater, laughing and chattering. A few people looked at him as though he was some sort of enigma, but he just glared at them, eyes skimming the crowd, looking for one small of group… Of course, his friends were the last people out of the building. He figured that Honda was the first one to see him; when he pointed to Jounouchi they all rushed over to join him. Jounouchi wondered if Honda had been able to see that he wasn't in the best mood. 

"Man, where were you?" Honda asked. "We tried to call, but no one was home." 

Jounouchi glared. Apparently his mood hadn't been as evident as he thought. 

"Hi," Yuugi said sweetly, hugging Jounouchi even though he was soaked. "How are you?" 

Jounouchi blinked. _Don't be sarcastic, don't be sarcastic… _ "Oh, great." Shit; that was sarcastic. "First I try to find you, and - in my desperation - climb into your window. _Jiichan_ gives me the death glare from hell and threatens my life with some… scary thing," Jounouchi's arms were waving wildly, as though trying to add merit to his exaggerations, "and all that just to find out you're not home! I walk all the way to Anzu's house and learn you guys aren't there either! Now I'm wet, I'm cold, and I have something important to say!" When Jounouchi finished his tirade he thought about what he said, thought about his ranting, and was worried that Yuugi would be hurt, and the whole situation would go to hell. If Yuugi was hurt… 

However Yuugi didn't look phased; he was just staring at Jounouchi. Their friends covertly walked away but were obviously listening from their position a few feet away. At least they hadn't insulted Jounouchi's intelligence by pretending not to listen. Finally Yuugi asked, "You broke into my house?" 

Jounouchi paused, his entire heated mood brought down by that one question. He blushed again - enough with this blushing thing! "Uh, yea. I guess I did." 

"_Baka_," Yuugi said affectionately. "_Jiichan_ probably would have pressed charges against anyone else." 

"Thanks for the mood-lifter," Jounouchi grumbled, rolling his eyes. "Love ya too." There was a dead silence; everything around them, the whole night, seemed to be caught in it… and then there was the distinct sounds of someone slapping their head. Jounouchi cringed, both from the sound and from his own words. That wasn't how he planned to say it. He had just been so geared up for it that it slipped. 

Yuugi broke the silence. "Do you?" 

Jounouchi nodded sheepishly. "Yea." There was a pause, and he knew that Yuugi wanted to hear him say it. He wanted to hear himself say it. He knelt down and looked at Yuugi, serious and solemn as he could be. "I love you." Yuugi all but launched at him, hugging him tightly. Jounouchi wrapped his arms around Yuugi, holding him close. Hey, if he got hugs like that every time he said it, he would have to profess love more often… 

Someone in the group started clapping. "That's distasteful!" Ryou protested, but someone else joined in. Jounouchi spared one arm to flip them off. 

Yuugi laughed. "Let them have their show," he whispered, and then added cheerily, "I love you, too." 

**-tbc-**

* * *

**- author says -**  
This was... all... sappy. I think I was trying to cast a bit of doubt on what he was going to say for a while, but we all saw this coming, huh? Ah, well, sap is fun. Besides, I write enough angst to choke a small donkey. ^_^ 


	11. Epilogue

**_ashes doesn't own yu-gi-oh! but we know that you all knew that…_**

* * *

**Epilogue**

Jounouchi wasn't sure what he counted as more bizarre: the fact that a year had passed since he told Yuugi that he loved him, or that everyone seemed to remember except him and Yuugi. It was actually sort of embarrassing; they were caught off-guard when they found three cards in Yuugi's mailbox. 

The first one was from Anzu: "_Congrads! I'm glad Jounouchi finally got over himself._" 

Then one from Mai: "_Happy one year, boys. Hey, Jou, I have a proposition for you: I'll show you my pictures if you show me yours._" She drew a wink beside the message, probably just because she knew that it would make Jounouchi blush. And blush he did; he turned so red that he could have given a tomato a run for it's money. That was if tomato's had money. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yuugi asked. Jounouchi had never told him about his conversation with Mai, or any of that advice fiasco for that matter. 

"Nothing," he stammered, thinking of the sticker pictures he still kept hidden in his dresser. 

The third card wasn't a card so much a card as it was a black business card with "_glad to see you still have both legs intact_" written on it. 

"Who sent that?" Yuugi wondered. "How strange." 

All of their male friends were a little more covert about their congratulations. Honda called and invited them to a movie, slipping in his message of goodwill just before the conversation ended. Otogi sent them both e-mail conveying his good wishes. They didn't hear from Ryou all day, but his name was on the caller ID. 

And of course, there was the same group of girls that flocked around Jounouchi and Yuugi like bodyguards at school. They brought baked goods and other various foods. Not that Jounouchi was complaining about free food, but he didn't understand why the girls were _still_ so fascinated with them. At least they were nice girls… and they had food. Not to mention Jounouchi could officially say he had more fan-girls than Otogi. 

"Jou," Yuugi called down the stairs, "is our fan club still here?" Girls squealed; they liked being called a 'fan club' for some reason that Jounouchi simply couldn't fathom. Personally, he would have found it insulting. 

He covered his ears against the deafening, "Yes!" that was shouted for Yuugi to hear. 

Yuugi laughed. "Well, ladies, can you send him upstairs?" Giggles and whispered filled the room until he continued, "I need help cleaning the bathroom." 

There was a collective groan. One girl piped up, "That's such a mood-killer for your anniversary." 

"Eh, it's not all sexy," Jounouchi admitted with a grin. "You should have been here when _Jiichan_ said that neither of us could leave until Yuugi's room got cleaned." 

"What happened?" 

Yuugi answered, "He didn't leave all weekend; finally _Jiichan_ stood in the doorway until we got it done." Jounouchi nodded wordlessly at the girls who gaped at him, and even smiled when they giggled. "Now we need to get this done or we're not going to be able to go out with Honda tonight," Yuugi threatened from wherever the hell he was upstairs. Jounouchi sighed and stood. 

"Bye, girls," he said, a little sadly; he definitely preferred their company to cleaning the bathroom. They left, slowly but surely, and finally Jounouchi was forced to join Yuugi, who was in the upstairs bathroom. Jounouchi commented hopefully, "If that was an excuse to get them out of the house so we could be alone, it would make my day." Jounouchi got a rag - a clean one, he hoped - to the face. 

"Nope," Yuugi said cheerfully. "Bathroom is filthy. Including with your dirty laundry. Do you go home anymore?" 

"Yes," Jounouchi said defensively, dropping the rag into the sink and picking his laundry off the floor. "I have to prove that I'm alive at least once a week, otherwise my dad would probably try to collect life insurance on me." 

Yuugi laughed, swatting Jounouchi's rear as the blond left to put his laundry in Yuugi's hamper. "You're so strange, Jou." 

"That's why you love me," Jounouchi called from the bedroom. 

"Who ever said I loved you?" Yuugi teased. When Jounouchi returned, he was bent over the tub, scrubbing at some ungodly mildew. 

"You did," Jounouchi countered, leaning down to kiss Yuugi's cheek. "At least once every week." 

"It's all a big joke," Yuugi said, sneezing as he sprayed some chemicals on the mildew he was desperately trying to scrub away from the tub. Jounouchi tried not to laugh as he sat on the toilet. He knew Yuugi was joking; he did all the time. For some reason, Yuugi thought the exchange was funny, probably because events were so reversed when he said stuff like that… 

"It's a shame then," Jounouchi said, like he always did. "Because I love you." 

Yuugi looked over his shoulder, grinning. "I know." 

**-end-**

* * *

**- author says -**  
Yea, the epilogue doesn't serve much of a purpose besides for a little fluff, and to show that small role reversal right there. I thought it was cute, and knew I had to slip it into some less-than-serious moment before the story was over. 

Blue September (and anyone else who may have wondered): Yea, I think the note on Jou's locker was from Kaiba. Thought it was funny, if not a bit silly and out of character. ^_^U 

Holy crap. Well, this be the end. v.v I thank everyone who actually read the story; this story is the one I've gotten the most responses for… ever. I mean, damn. You guys rock my socks. 

Thanks! 


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